Review

Every genre of metal (and most music, for that matter) has its highs and lows, with the highs being the glory days in which classic album after classic album are pushed out, and its lows being the time when everyone adopts the popular term, _____ is dead. This is when the genre is dominated by innumerable myspace bands that rip off each other, the aforementioned classic albums, and themselves. Post-metal is one of those genres whose glory days (Panopticon, Through Silver and Blood, etc.) are behind it. There are still breathtaking albums released every year, but these few albums by already respected artists are drowned out by the legions of boring ones. But, in this obscenely large sea of mediocrity, there always exist a few under-the-radar post-metal gems. UK-based sludge/post-metal band The Mire is one of them.

Their debut EP/demo, Vol. I, is an extremely short one by the genre's standards. With two songs measuring at about 6 minutes each, this is far off from the 10-20 minute epics that are so common with post-metal nowadays. But I promise you, by the end of these 12 minutes, you will be completely satisfied. For this is not just sludge/post with a shorter duration: all the needless bullcrap that the genre is notorious for has been done away with. Gone are the overlong sections of mindless amp and effects wankery; over are the “epic” 10-minute buildups. There is no pretentiousness here, leaving only 12 minutes of unadulterated sludgy goodness for the considerable enjoyment of the listener.

Both tracks follow a single theme or riff the whole way through, but keep it interesting with vocal variations and beautiful loud-quiet dynamics. The raw-sounding Wheelwalker is the more standard (though by no means bad/boring) of the two, with a simple yet annoyingly catchy three-chord riff being the song's focal point. The vocals range from a hardcore-ish yell/bark to a beautiful clean voice, but these vocal dynamics are utilized even more prominently in the second, slightly shorter track on the demo. Fears showcases a huge range of styles, from breathtaking passages of clean vocal beauty layered over mountains and chasms of distortion, to an absolutely skull-crushing, sludgetastic main riff that leaves their wannabe peers in the dust, and is akin to early Isis on steroids.

This album is not a classic by any means, as the sound is not quite original enough to be absolutely breathtaking, but this British band certainly has the capacity to make one when full-length debut Vol. II drops. But for now, we can all enjoy this stripped-down, behemoth of a demo. Do yourself a favor, and as soon as possible, plunge yourself headfirst into these 12 minutes of sludgegasmic beauty. You will be satisfied, or your money back (I mean, I really will refund the album if you don't like it. {probably not}).